CLEVELAND — Paul Byrd, one of the more classy players in the Indians clubhouse, is taking his act to Boston.
In a move to send the veteran right-hander to greener pastures while saving money in the process, the Indians traded Byrd to the Red Sox on Tuesday for a player to be named and cash.
“It’s not really about the player we’re getting,” said Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro. “It’s about, No. 1, providing Paul with an opportunity, and No. 2, it’s about relieving salary.”
Boston will pay the remainder of Byrd’s $7.5 million salary, which he will earn after Cleveland exercised a club option this offseason, and if the Indians can’t decide on the player to be named by Jan. 15, 2009, they will receive more cash from the Red Sox.
Though Byrd, 37, has been mediocre for much of the season — 7-10, 4.53 ERA in 22 starts — he has been extremely effective of late. His ERA stood at 5.53 on July 4 before a five-start span saw him post a 4-0 record and 1.80 ERA, which included a complete-game victory in his last outing Saturday in Toronto.
The performance paved the way for the trade, once Byrd cleared waivers.
“The way he pitched made this come together pretty quickly,” Shapiro said. “We had multiple teams expressing interest.”
“He put himself in position to be wanted,” said manager Eric Wedge.
Still, Byrd, a 12-year veteran who will join his eighth organization, was caught off guard by the news.
“I was kind of ambushed,” said Byrd, who learned of the trade around 15 minutes after arriving at Progressive Field at around 2:30 p.m. “I hadn’t heard about anybody being interested. It was kind of a surprise to me and a very emotional moment.”
The Indians are expected to make a move to replace Byrd in the rotation today, likely promoting either Aaron Laffey or Zach Jackson from Triple-A Buffalo. Byrd is scheduled to make his first start for Boston on Friday against the Blue Jays at Fenway Park, while Cleveland needs to fill his spot Thursday in the series finale with Baltimore.
His departure leaves the Indians with just two of their starters from the opening-day rotation, with him and CC Sabathia gone in trades and Jake Westbrook on the disabled list after undergoing elbow surgery.
Meanwhile, Byrd goes on to pursue something that has avoided him his entire career — a World Series title — with the defending world champions.
“That’s what you play for,” said Byrd, who went 32-27 with a 4.68 ERA in 84 starts for Cleveland over three years after signing as a free agent prior to the 2006 season. “We were so close last year. I’m in a better situation to accomplish what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ll miss these guys, but I’m excited to pitch for a contender.”
In turn, the Indians will miss Byrd’s veteran savvy and clubhouse presence.
“Paul’s a class act,” Shapiro said. “He made a decision to come here when he had a lot of alternatives.”
“Paul’s done a good job for us over the last three years,” Wedge said. “He’s won some big ballgames and was a big contributor for us in the playoffs (1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in one Division Series start and 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in one ALCS outing) last year. He’s been very consistent in regard to his character and how he handles himself on the field.”
Byrd, originally chosen by the Indians in the 13th round of the 1988 draft, returns to the site of one of his more forgettable baseball moments. It was prior to Game 7 of last year’s ALCS when a story broke regarding Byrd’s human growth hormone use. The Indians went on to lose the game (11-2) and the series after owning a 3-1 lead over the Red Sox.
“I don’t know if it’s ironic because of the HGH thing,” Byrd said. “I think it’s ironic because they’re the team that beat us. I wasn’t a Red Sox fan this offseason, let’s put it that way.”
Though Byrd said he has not decided whether he will pitch again next season, he could wind up back in Cleveland on another free-agent contract.
“Who knows,” he said. “I’ve loved my time in Cleveland.”

Garko out of doghouse

Ryan Garko has responded well to the benching.
The Indians first baseman, who has struggled to find consistency at the plate for much of the year, was removed from the starting lineup for failing to run out a ground ball last Monday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
In his last three games since then, Garko has emerged from manager Eric Wedge’s doghouse, entering Tuesday with six hits in 11 at-bats, a run and three RBIs.
“I’m just going up there trying to compete and have good at-bats,” said Garko, who was batting .248 with eight home runs and 55 RBIs in 103 games through Monday. “I know I can hit. It’s just a matter of being consistent.”
That’s been the toughest part for Garko this year. He’s been Cleveland’s most productive hitter at times, but has failed to maintain the pace.
Another Indian that is showing signs of life at the plate is second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland’s opening-day starter, who was demoted to the minors thanks to offensive inefficiencies. He entered Tuesday batting .275 (19-for-69) with three home runs and six RBIs in 20 games since being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo.

Donnelly diary

With Edward Mujica struggling, look for hard-throwing right-hander Brendan Donnelly to get more late-inning opportunities out of the bullpen.
Donnelly, an All-Star in 2003 with the Angels, made his Indians debut Monday, pitching a scoreless eighth inning to preserve a two-run lead. It was his first big league appearance in over a year after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
“You don’t envision a guy’s first time out to come in a situation like that, but that’s what’s happening,” Wedge said. “We’re going to give guys opportunities.”

LaPorta watch

Though Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro said the team would continue to promote young players from the minors over the remainder of the season, he hinted that the prized bounty from the CC Sabathia trade with Milwaukee, Matt LaPorta, might not be one of them.
The GM is concerned that the power-hitting prospect has spent too much time on the move this season, going from Milwaukee’s Double-A affiliate in Huntsville, Ala., to Class AA Akron and on to Beijing as a member of the U.S. Olympic baseball team. 
“He hasn’t spent five days in one place since the trade,” Shapiro said.

Roundin’ third

Kelly Shoppach entered Tuesday fifth among MLB catchers with 12 homers, and batting .344 (22-for-64) with 15 RBIs over his last 18 games.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

 

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